Zoraptor

Kind of funny that the one part of the initial Russian invasion that went incontrovertibly well for them was Kherson when strategically they'd have been far better off if it hadn't and those resources had gone into going northwards on the east bank. Having said that, Kherson has been imminently going to fall with all the Russian troops cut off since early April, and it hasn't 7 months later. It was then imminently going to fall in August as the Russian forces starved, and hasn't three months later. The capacity for Ukraine to actually deliver on forcing the Russians out is pretty much entirely on paper. The fatality rate of DPR officials has been high right from the outset. And it definitely isn't the Ukrainians doing a lot of the killing. IIRC just about every person in a senior leadership or militia leadership position in 2014 is dead at this point except Girkin/ Strelkov- which is the main reason I'm convinced he's controlled rather than genuine opposition.

0) No I'm not, because it isn't. 1) The dam/ bridge blocks/ crosses the Dniepr River, which is maybe 300m wide at that point, not 15m. The lock is 15m wide. Handy wikimapia link as illustration. Make sure to turn on the satellite imagery too as... 2) ..the tweet is from Nov 3, but.. 3) ..the satellite imagery most definitely is not from Nov 3, it's bog standard Google imagery which could be anything up to literal years old. This is what it looks like on a more up to date image. Note the two extra bridges, and the infill.

That's the funny thing which made me wonder if I'd actually hit a bug: if I had gone Legend (small matter of accepting Nocticula's profane gift notwithstanding; who'd have thunk accepting a demon's gift would have consequences?) I'd still have hit that level cap after maybe an hours extra gameplay.

I now have something to significantly complain about- the level cap. Surely it cannot be that hard to work out roughly how much xp there is in the game and design the cap around that? Especially if you're going to sell dlc that just adds extra xp to the pile. I am, it seems, now the small matter of 1 million xp over the cap, and I haven't even been to Ib (?) yet. Unless it isn't displaying my xp properly? I got lvl 20 after the final fight in Enigma... (spoilers for that and the Azata mythic finale) XP wise, I've done literally zero grinding, and while I've done most of the optional fights I certainly haven't done all of them. To my mind it's just plain bad design, and there's no excuse for it. Either have a higher cap, or have lower xp rewards. That's also the one thing I actively loathed about both PoEs, for that matter.

https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3549443-ukrainian-forces-struck-bridge-over-dam-in-nova-kakhovka.html ? Their source is Ukrainian Operation Command South. Your source is using old satellite imagery, you can tell because of the lack of secondary crossings per below. Indeed, there's a notable lack of up to date imagery showing the dam bridge itself. The small water outlet is the lock (well, presumably. Used for getting ships past the dam; shut the gates and pump water in/ out to change the level to that up/ down stream). There are two issues with hitting that. Firstly it's very narrow, certainly in comparison to the Dniepr proper. Indeed, more up to date imagery shows the Russians had bridged it at least twice. Secondly there's no river current and no up/ down stream traffic. As a permanent solution the Russians simply filled it in to make a crossing (apparently sometime in September?), so it isn't a bridge any more. Only way to get rid of that is something far more explosive than HiMARS rockets, or to hit the lock gates to generate a, uh, current (which would be functionally identical to hitting the dam proper).

It isn't, as someone (Mamoulian War I think) pointed out previously the low ground is actually on the east bank, not the west. It might temporarily make the river harder to cross but it will make it far harder to defend when the water clears because any prepared positions will have been washed away.

Sigh. Ukraine has been hitting the dam for literally months, absolutely confirmed and mentioned here multiple times whenever there has been a "Russian forces in Kherson cut off!" type post. It's just that when they hit it it's always described as the Nova Kharkovka Bridge. For some reason. To quote wikipedia, since it can hardly be accused of being pro Russian "The P47 road and a railway cross the Dnieper River on the dam." (emphasis added). This is very easily confirmed by an image search. A suitably jaded and cynical mind might suggest that all the talk of Russians blowing the dam is cover for the fact it has been constantly attacked by Ukraine and the expectation is that that has caused significant structural damage.

True, but that's why it's an analogy; it simplifies the thought process by using a figurative comparison. I'd say it is a fair simplification though, as Russia also has only figuratively stolen Europe's gas. (I've said before what my opinion is of the energy suppliers making windfall profits breaking contracts- it's... not great. And in that case I was pretty sympathetic to Europe because the context there was the US was demanding more aid to Ukraine from Europe, while making 600% mark ups on gas supply. Not really any solidarity being shown in that case, and if the US wants more aid from Europe more money would definitely be available if they weren't being gouged by the US on energy pricing. But ultimately, still not those 3rd world countries fault, and their gas is still going because of something Europe could avoid doing if they really wanted to)

Fine. Every problem I've personally had with their drivers has been external, ie Microsoft update installing old drivers over the top of new ones despite being told not to. And updates deleting the workgroup policy that hard enforces that. They've even fixed DX9/ OpenGl performance recently, late, but done. 5700XT was the last problem release, and that was a new arch.

Not really. They're innocent (in this matter) and uninvolved parties to an economic war half a world away who are, fundamentally, the ones actually losing their energy supply- they have an absolute right to be pissed about it. The only disputation is the degree of blame they should assign to one or another party further up the chain. That's not really an issue of hypocrisy because there's no inconsistency in stated motivation vs actions, only a disagreement as to who is ultimately to blame. Might help with an analogy: if Russia takes Europe's lunch money that would be bad, sure. But if Europe takes someone else's lunch money to replace that chances are that the excuse "well Russia took ours first" isn't going to wash with the person who ends up not having lunch. Because it isn't Russia taking it from them, it's Europe, and it isn't Russia ordering it; Europe could just go hungry for a bit. Especially when Russia, inevitably, offers to do their best to replace the victim's stolen lunch. They don't see Russia taking their lunch, they see it trying to help, the person they see taking it is Europe. Of course, it can easily be argued that that is an unfair attribution of blame, but it is how blame usually works. Realpolitik certainly doesn't have room for concepts like solidarity, it's a transactional/ objective theory where concepts like 'solidarity' is just shared, often transitional, interests and a good way to dress things up for the populace-- "..no permanent friends or enemies, only interests" is perhaps the epitome of the theory. The problem is that while Europe does do things for realpolitik reasons that isn't the explanation they give for it, because that explanation in this case fundamentally clashes with the ideals they publicly espouse. It's the clash between those espoused ideals (even if not really believed) and practical reality that leads to the hypocrisy, because they're at odds with one another.

That's some pretty aggressive pricing. Won't be faster than a 4090 (hence the lack of benchmarks, one strongly suspects) as realistically you'd have needed the previously rumoured (but debunked a while ago) extra chip on the MCM for that, but should be a fair bit faster than a 4080 and at a significant discount.

As previous, Europe could just do with less energy, it isn't impossible. That is, after all, 100% what Europe is forcing Bangladesh and Pakistan etc to do- and whatever argument you make that it isn't really Europe's fault and they're being forced to take others' supplies applies far, far more strongly to those others. After all, even if it isn't really Europe fault it absolutely 100% isn't Pakistan or Bangladesh's, but they're the ones made to suffer. Shouldn't have an expectation that someone on €1000 p/a should be happy to sacrifice what energy they have so that someone on €120000 p/a can keep their underfloor heating on instead of switching it off. Realpolitik actually dictates what happens of course, so the supplies are taken because Europe can, and if they didn't politicians would lose their jobs (and yeah, some people would probably die too but realpolitik wise that's only a problem, for you, when it's blamed on you so it loops back); and it's dressed up the way it is because that looks good to the population. The big thing of course is the hypocrisy. Europe expects solidarity from others and will cheerfully label less than fulsome support for them as support for Russia, war crimes etc etc. Unsurprisingly, they see Europe as having zero solidarity with them while being immensely sanctimonious about it too- and not for the first time, either.

Gangs of London S2 S1 was a guilty pleasure where the shonky plot was papered over by the biggest helping of hilariously ott schlocky action since Anthony Starr got too injured to do stunts on Banshee*. No fights come anywhere close to the opening fight from S1 or the farmhouse and S2 had an even more shonky plot but maybe, just maybe, approached OK despite that. The series really needs to make up its mind if it's trying to be 'realistic' or cartoon silly and go with one or the other though. What they've ended up with is a messy hybrid that doesn't have enough action/ cartoonishness but also doesn't work as a drama. The big negative is the plotting. They actually had the basics of a decent one- or at least a decent one to hang action around- and at times it was actually pretty good. But then they needed the plot to go from A --> B or wanted to keep someone alive for a S3 and didn't have a way to do it that made sense and just... went with it not making sense. Nobody's going to win BAFTAs for the acting or writing, but it was better than you might expect from schlock since it managed to make me care somewhat about some of the characters. *Having mentioned Banshee its spiritual successor 'Warrior' does a similar thing to GoL, and does it far better.

About £1000 p/w for working in the troll factory apparently, though the source on that is lol (The Scum, so fair chance it's just made up). You can pick St Pete's, Moscow or, uh, Ghana? Funnily enough trolling people for money is one of the things I certainly could do. I could do it in my sleep, no concentration at all required and if I can 'troll' people without trying imagine if I put my mind to it...

Is there anything more pathetic than thinking anyone who disagrees with you must be a paid Russian troll? Could it be hiding behind a publicly announced ignore and still- as always with such people, just grab Bartimaeus's script ffs it's there in his sig- actually reading messages and sniping away because you can't help yourself. Sheesh man, have some self control. Tell you what Lexx- or anyone else for that matter- complain to the admins if you think I'm actually a paid shill, or using morphs. Stop being a coward and actually make the accusation instead of just implying it so you can weasel out. If I'm not, you can post a public apology, or get one of the mods to do it for you if your battered ego can't handle it. No? Then you're a gutless hypocrite. Personal attack? Well no, objective fact really. If you aren't willing to back your words then you don't actually believe what you're saying but are still making accusations as red herrings, ie actual whataboutism. Also, massive over estimation of time required anyway, and, of course, always a giggle having Bruce say I'm never around any more followed by me being a full time Russian agent. (FTR I have a lot of under utilised time as I look after my dad who has dementia. Can't do anything for hours at a time that requires proper concentration and which can't be dropped at a moments notice, hence loads of things like gardening and yeah, mucking around on the internet reading stuff. Not something I bring up much for obvious reasons, only time I recall doing it was wrt Bruce Willis, since my dad had exactly the same symptoms) That's a massively long bow to draw from me replying to Bruce's obvious trolling by giving him an answer he couldn't troll back at- and was not directed at you at all. Let's be blunt though, celebrating the moral superiority and fantastic response Europe achieved by, uh, taking the 3rd world's resources is an absolutely terrible look for anyone not western. It's also hilarious when you're constantly told that colonialism is 'in the past'.

Russia isn't inducing the breaking of contracts with 3rd parties to bail themselves out and thus exporting their misery to those 3rd parties, Europe is. Europe could, after all, not induce contract breaking, if it wanted to avoid hurting 3rd parties. Which would, of course, immediately be followed by the opening of the Winter Olympics by the head of state of the host country, Satan. I await eagerly the expressions of dismay when, yet again, the west fails to get support from much of the rest of the world and the complete bafflement as to why; and the amazement that Pakistanis and Bangladeshis aren't 100% happy and satisfied at their gas going to keep some euroweenies' toes warm.

I'm exactly as outraged as you were when it was Iraqi and Serbian infrastructure on the receiving end, Brucykins. Though asking for a cite for the natural gas stuff is fair enough. Zero guesses as to what the 'more profitable market' is.

Fancy not liking noodle neck Caraxes. I suspect whoever animated him must have worked on Jurassic Park animating their Diplodocus as a childhood dream and been absolutely shattered when told that scientifically necks can't move like that. I'm certainly not over keen on their dragon design, but that's mostly because I prefer six limbed dragons (ie 4 legs, wings separate) to hybrid legs/ wings. HotD S1 was definitely less good than GoT S1, but then GoT S1 was very good. It also had certain 'structural' advantages in terms of having a starting point a lot closer to the action than (as previous) HotD had, and having a backstory specifically designed around drip feeding exposition organically (ie things like Jon's parentage). If they'd started with young Ned and young Robert just after the successful Robellion the first season of GoT would have had similar problems. And I can't see a way they could have done HotD differently without... dunno really. You'd have to have some sort of massive exposition about how the situation came to be, and they didn't seem keen on going the ~pr0n route GoT went for many of its exposition dumps. The result is, fundamentally, a bit of a mess in narrative terms but the only way it could be avoided I can see is not to adapt the story. And it's nowhere near bad enough I wish it wasn't made, rather the reverse. I thought there was a definite feeling of 'impersonate the GoT character' type direction for a lot more than young Rhaenyra. You had Rhaenyra <--> Daenerys Daemon <--> Viscerys (II/ Lloyd, not Considine) Larys <--> Littlefinger Otto <--> Tywin and Alicent <--> Cersei. Even going so far as having relatively minor character parallels like Westerling <--> Selmy. To be fair to them though that's the sort of thing I always look for.

lol no. It was 100% Ukraine that did it and many of the sources for that are sources you'd otherwise take as gospel- like UPravda and UNIAN. Then of course there was Kuleba admitting to it in a prank call; and that's without getting into the litany of anonymously sourced western articles. If it was intended as a 'justification' by Russia they'd have picked something of a lot less strategic importance. The only credible efforts so far as disputation goes is trying to avoid it being a suicide/ homicide bomb that was used- and those often aren't very credible at all per the BBC's "maybe it was a remote control boat [with, uh, 65kg payload, lest we forget]?". Which was either monumental stupidity or active misinformation- as an aside, absolutely hilarious that that obviously and ludicrously incorrect claim makes it onto wikipedia because it comes from a 'credible' source, but that's wikipedia for you. The targeting switch was almost certainly planned right from the outset and before even that. Indeed, they will also have a plan for targeting just about everyone's infrastructure- and targets for nukes for that matter. That's the nature of planning. They don't really need a justification for it and as above even if they did the Kerch Bridge is an awful choice.

Two factors at work there one suspects. Firstly, a lot of the earlier attacks were designated as being 'accidents', sometimes even when they very obviously weren't. If you deny the attack happened/ say it's an accident then you don't need to retaliate. Secondly, and probably most importantly by far, an airbase and even the port isn't critical infrastructure and is, for want of a better term, a 'legitimate'* military target. The Kerch Bridge is absolutely critical infrastructure, and was near immediately attributed to Ukraine by the Russians -->--> resulting in them switching to targeting Ukraine's critical infrastructure. I'm always a bit skeptical about translations/ interpretations too, it's surprising (or not?) how often translations are a bit... well, the wording, context and phrasing is chosen to make a more 'attractive' story. Kind of like how 'go to hell' can be literally interpreted as wishing someone not only dead, but for them to suffer eternal torment; but generally it's an expression of (often fairly mild) annoyance. Taking Armageddon (or Judgement Day, as some translated it) literally is great if you want to sell papers/ clicks and are telling people the Russians are imminently going to start throwing nukes about though. You'd hardly expect a Russian politician to say that Crimea was fair game after all, any more than you'd expect a Ukrainian to say anything of theirs is fair game. *or understandable, or non escalatory, or reciprocal or whatever. Specifically not being used as legitimate in the war crimes sense. Obviously they are legitimate in that sense, but then so is everything dual use including the bridge and electrical/ power infrastructure and this is a motive/ response explanation.

Could well be nothing? There is not a major increase in supply, though that will potentially come. There is only a major increase in supply to Europe. Europe is getting its 'new' supply mostly by... inducing the breaking of existing contracts with other countries. Indeed, one of the more amusing things is watching Europeans pat themselves on the back and pontificate on their moral superiority over the rules based order and cutting down on reliance on Russia by, well, stealing what they need off others- morally, if not legally. Then of course having the mega hypocrisy of criticising those they've deprived of gas- and this is the kicker, since there's no major increase in supply, only supply to Europe- for going to Russia; and wondering why those countries really don't like them and see them as massive frauds. Euro Response Roulette: Russian bots? Russian disinformation? Hating our freeeeedom? Weeds who want to ruin our Perfect Garden (thanks Borrel, hilarious you said that in the institution Mogherini runs; you're not fit to tie her shoes when it comes to diplomacy). Not really, in this case it's the old "it's legal and necessary as we're doing it, you need to accept that your people just aren't as deserving of energy as Euros". Energy price deflation happens all the time. It's just a fancy way of saying... prices will drop. I doubt anyone including Russia expects the prices to stay as high constantly as new supply (and new infrastructure carrying it) will be developed/ built. That works both ways though. As for retaliation to stuff happening in Crimea, the change of focus to hitting energy infrastructure happened directly after the Kerch Bridge attack. Might not exactly be armageddon- at least now, when it's relatively warm- but then hyperbole isn't exactly unknown in military matters. "Mission Accomplished", Operation 'Enduring' Freedom, etc etc.

Do they not do free keys for educators in the US? They certainly used to do that here, since that's how I got my current OS.

Apparently the Smashing Pumpkins were big fans. I always wondered where that sample in the video for 'Tonight, Tonight' came from and now I know.

OTOH, could have been Luke for the even lower profile option. Not surprising, as there have been significant... creative differences between Cavill and the showrunners which have leaked out around the edges. Enough that a lot doesn't seem to be rumour at least*- though stuff like Cavill wanting some sort of creative control/ influence isn't confirmed. Superman gives a convenient excuse, but it could easily be two years or more before that goes into actual shooting. Would be funny if Cavill popped up on Hot D for a season; shame the current Stark isn't a Brandon or he could have played another Lord Brandon after his role in The Tudors. Guess they couldn't really replace the entire series leadership... but then is anyone watching for Lauren Hisrup's writing and showrunning? Mighty have been better to just cancel the thing. *recently one of the ex writers cited TWitcher as a project he worked on where a lot of the writing staff 'hated' the source material, which would definitely have annoyed Cavill. That writer didn't seem to have any reason to lie about it.

Caught up on House of the Dragon. Overall, a strong start, though certainly a lot of room for improvement in certain aspects. Which probably ought to happen, since S1 was ultimately scene setting over an extended period which doesn't lend itself to coherent storytelling on TV. I have a strong suspicion Aemond may have hijacked my keyboard once or twice there, looking back.